TOEFL iBT Scoring and Test Structure

Your TOEFL iBT® (Internet-Based TOEFL) scores will provide accurate information about your ability to participate and succeed in academic studies in an English-speaking environment. The TOEFL iBT will test English language skills in four areas, and your TOEFL score report will contain five scores: one total score on a scale of 0 to 120, and four skill scores, each on a scale of 0 to 30.

Listening (0 to 30 points)

Reading (0 to 30 points)

Speaking (0 to 30 points)

Writing (0 to 30 points)

Total Score (0 to 120 points)

Your scores will be available online 15 business days after you take the TOEFL test. You will be able to view them for free (as will the schools you chose to receive your scores). You’ll also be mailed a paper copy of your score report 15 business days after your test date.

Due to the gradual phasing in of the TOEFL iBT, if you take the computer-based (CBT) or paper-based TOEFL (PBT), your scores will be valid for two years after the date you take your TOEFL test. For a while, anyone who has taken more than one form of the test will receive a TOEFL score report with two or three sets of scores reported on the three different score scales. Scores for the new Internet-based test will appear as TOEFL iBT to distinguish them from the CBT and PBT scores.

TOEFL iBT Test Structure

Listening

Length: 60–90 minutes

4–6 lectures, each 3–5 minutes long with six questions apiece

2–3 conversations, each 3 minutes long with five questions apiece

Tip: Introduces more than one native English accent

Scoring: 0–30 points

Speaking

Length: 20 minutes

2 independent tasks: speak about a familiar topic

4 integrated tasks: speak based on what you read and hear

Tip: You have 30 seconds to prepare and one minute to respond

Scoring: 0–4 points, converted to a 0–30 score scale

Reading

Length: 60–100 minutes

3–5 passages from academic texts, each about 700 words long

12–14 questions per passage

Tip: Includes a glossary to define key words

Scoring: 0–30 points

Writing

Length: 50 minutes

1 integrated task: write based on what is read and heard

1 independent task: support an opinion

Tip: Typing is required

Scoring: 0–5 points, converted to a 0–30 score scale

Depending on your previous experiences with English and your comfort level in each of the four language skills areas, you may want to focus your TOEFL preparation so it address any areas of weakness.

Peterson's has more than 40 years of experience in higher education, and the expert staff members here are all ready to leverage their considerable knowledge and experience to help you succeed on your educational journey. We have the information, the know-how, and the tools -- now all we need is you!

For many years, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was the exam most U.S. colleges and universities relied on to measure and test English language skills exhibited by applicants from non-English speaking countries.

The new TOEFL test includes voice-recording technology that more effectively measures your ability both to understand and to speak English. It is a better evaluation tool for assessing your overall communication skills in the English language.